On February 25, 1836, just one day after sending his famous "Victory or Death" letter, Colonel William B. Travis sent another letter from the Alamo. He wrote to Major-General Sam Houston, Commander-in-Chief of the Texas Army, citing his men for bravery. He wrote: "Charles Despallier and Robert Brown gallantly sallied out and set fire to houses which afforded the enemy shelter, in the face of the enemy fire." Until now, young Charles remained but a name in the list of the Immortal 32.

"From Martin to Despallier, The Story of a French Colonial Family" takes you on a journey through three hundred years of colonization, invasions, revolutions, and secret treaties. Starting off as colonists, military men, rebels, and U.S. frontiersmen, the Martin family from France made it to the ranks of consuls and, eventually, generals. Neither Charles nor his father Bernard ever revisited their ancestral native land, the ancient region of Normandy.

The evolution of their surname took years to unravel: from Martin to Martin des Pallières and, finally, Despallier. Dahlqvist's book tells the incredible story of men making careers in the Royal Navy and Army, in politics, and in justice. These men influenced history in colonial Haiti, in French and Spanish Louisiana and last but not least in Texas. It is the first and elaborately illustrated work describing the full and detailed family history of Charles Despallier who died at the Alamo.